ACES ON BRIDGE

On today’s deal, declarer had to play carefully to steer his game home. Some would double one diamond with the South cards, but the absence of aces persuaded that player to go low and overcall one spade, planning to compete again with a double if necessary. After North raised spades and East rebid his diamonds, South tried for game and North accepted the invitation.

East overtook his partner’s diamond queen lead and played another round. Declarer ruffed low and saw that it would be preferable to start trumps from dummy; otherwise, he might suffer a trump promotion on the third diamond. After all, it appeared that West held a doubleton diamond, as East might not have been so quick to overtake with only ace-king-sixth. East was also known to hold the spade ace on the bidding.

Accordingly, declarer crossed to the heart ace to play a low spade from dummy. East went in with the ace and continued with the diamond jack. Declarer ruffed high and cashed the spade queen, East showing out. Then South took the spade jack and ran his clubs, ending in hand. This stripped the West hand down to only major-suit cards. All that remained was to throw West in with a trump to force him to lead around to the heart tenace.

Had declarer led the spade king out of hand at trick three and ruffed the third diamond low (as ruffing high would promote a second trump trick for the defense), West would have overruffed and exited safely in a black suit, leaving declarer with a heart loser.

“In all pointed sentences, some degree of accuracy must be sacrificed to conciseness.”

— Samuel Johnson

ANSWER: Bid three clubs. In a forcing auction, going to the three-level should promise extras or extra shape. Despite your lack of aces, it is easy to imagine slam facing three aces and a fit. Describe your shape, hoping to get no-trump in next, and let partner take it from there.